How do you raise children who understand the value of money in a world where almost every payment is digital?

In this episode of Leadership Tea, Shelby Smith-Wilson and Belinda Jackson welcome back financial experts Sam Salmon and Josh Barrett from the State Department Federal Credit Union to discuss practical strategies for raising financially confident kids.

Together, they explore allowances, saving, budgeting, first jobs, spending habits, and how parents can build healthy financial mindsets through consistent conversations, not fear or shame.

Whether you're raising young children or preparing teenagers for adulthood, this conversation offers practical ideas that leaders can apply both at home and at work.

What happens when the career you've spent decades building suddenly ends?

In this special re-release of one of Leadership Tea's most impactful conversations, executive leader Cathy Duffy shares how being unexpectedly pushed into early retirement became the beginning of an entirely new chapter.

Shelby Smith-Wilson and Belinda Jackson explore identity, leadership, resilience, and what it truly means to take your power back after a forced career pivot.

If you're navigating layoffs, organizational change, or questioning what's next in your own career, this episode offers practical leadership lessons that feel especially relevant today.

After nearly three decades of public service, Shelby shares her experience navigating a Reduction in Force (RIF), the grief that follows career loss, and the challenge of rebuilding professional identity after an unexpected transition.

In this candid coaching conversation, Belinda and Shelby explore what it means to process professional grief, move forward without bitterness, and build confidence in the face of uncertainty.

They discuss leadership during difficult seasons, the importance of community, and why resilience often begins by remembering the challenges you've already survived.

Leadership often means making difficult decisions, staying calm under pressure, and showing up for others. But what happens when the hardest leadership challenge isn't at work, it's at home?

In this episode, Shelby and Belinda sit down with former diplomat and operations leader Brittany Carroll to discuss becoming a caregiver for her father while managing a demanding professional career.

Whether you're a leader supporting employees through difficult seasons, caring for a loved one yourself, or simply preparing for the future, this episode offers practical insights and thoughtful leadership lessons about navigating life's most complex responsibilities.

In this episode of Leadership Tea, Shelby and Belinda sit down with Kahana Samms, founder of Good Spirit Cafe, to discuss reinvention, entrepreneurship, wellness, and building community after uncertainty.

After years working in federal IT and cybersecurity, Kahana found herself navigating furloughs, layoffs, and major life transitions, prompting her to rethink stability, purpose, and what it truly means to build a meaningful life. 

Performance reviews are not just paperwork. They’re a reflection of leadership.

In this episode, Shelby and Belinda break down how strong leaders handle employee evaluations, difficult feedback, and accountability conversations without damaging trust or team morale.

A bad performance review can feel personal—but your response is what actually shapes your career.

In this episode, we walk through exactly how to handle a negative evaluation at work—from figuring out what’s true to deciding whether (and how) to push back.

When you feel stuck, doing more isn’t the answer. Clarity is.

In this episode, we sit down with Bobby Staten (Chief of Clarity) to unpack what’s really happening when leaders feel overwhelmed, stuck, or out of alignment, and how to move forward with intention.

From “changing the tape” to redefining identity, this conversation goes beyond surface-level productivity advice and gets to the core of how leaders actually grow.

What does leadership look like when the playbook breaks down?

In this episode of The Leadership Tea Podcast, Shelby and Belinda reflect on what crisis management requires from leaders when events are unfolding in real time.

In this episode of The Leadership Tea Podcast, Shelby and Belinda discuss why communication feels harder than it used to, and what leaders can do to navigate difficult conversations with more clarity, confidence, and care.

They reflect on how modern communication norms (chat groups, social media, rapid-fire messaging) can flatten nuance and weaken real connection. Shelby and Belinda share practical executive-level strategies for improving hard conversations at work: preparing your message, understanding your goals, anticipating reactions, and choosing the right moment and the right medium to communicate.

They also explore the leadership cost of avoiding hard conversations, including the importance of boundaries, the power of silence, and why brave leadership requires addressing issues while they’re still small.

In this episode of The Leadership Tea Podcast, Shelby and Belinda discuss why communication feels harder than it used to, and what leaders can do to navigate difficult conversations with more clarity, confidence, and care.

They reflect on how modern communication norms (chat groups, social media, rapid-fire messaging) can flatten nuance and weaken real connection. Shelby and Belinda share practical executive-level strategies for improving hard conversations at work: preparing your message, understanding your goals, anticipating reactions, and choosing the right moment and the right medium to communicate.

They also explore the leadership cost of avoiding hard conversations, including the importance of boundaries, the power of silence, and why brave leadership requires addressing issues while they’re still small.